How to Add Music to PowerPoint: Quick 5-Step Guide

Written by
Kevin Alster
July 24, 2025

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To add music to a PowerPoint presentation, use the Insert tab to select an audio file from your computer and customize playback options as needed.

These steps work for PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, 2019, 2016, and most recent versions on both Windows and Mac.

Add music to PowerPoint

1. Select the slide

  • Click the slide where you want the music to start playing.

2. Insert audio file

  • Go to the Insert tab.
  • Click Audio (on Windows: choose Audio on My PC; on Mac: choose Audio Browser or Audio from File).
  • Browse and select your audio file, then click Insert.

3. Adjust playback settings

  • Select the audio icon on your slide.
  • Go to the Playback tab (Windows) or Audio Format tab (Mac).
  • Choose how you want the music to play. For playback across slides, select Play in Background. To start automatically, set Start to Automatically.

4. Move or hide audio icon

  • Drag the audio icon to your preferred location.
  • To hide the icon during the show, check Hide During Show in the playback options.

5. Test the audio

  • Start the presentation from the beginning or the selected slide to ensure the music plays as intended.

How to add music to presentations without the hassle

Unlike PowerPoint, which requires manually adding and configuring audio, Synthesia lets you create AI video presentations with built-in royalty-free music or easily add your own through the video editor.

Synthesia is a leading AI video generation platform that enables users to create studio-quality videos with built-in audio options and AI avatars that deliver your message, eliminating the need for complex audio editing or timing adjustments.

Convert your PowerPoint into an AI video.

About the author

Strategic Advisor

Kevin Alster

Kevin Alster heads up the learning team at Synthesia.  He is focused on building Synthesia Academy and helping people figure out how to use generative AI videos in enterprise.  His journey in the tech industry is driven by a decade-long experience in the education sector and various roles where he uses emerging technology to augment communication and creativity through video.  He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby's Institute of Art.

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